The Tesla Cybertruck is on its way to customers, but issues stemming from the production of the truck's battery could be getting in the way as the automaker ramps up output, Reuters reports.
Nine sources told Reuters that the truck’s 4860 battery design, specifically the dry-coated electrodes, has become a sticking point in the rate of production. These components, which are theoretically faster to make than traditional wet-coated electrodes, played a huge role in Tesla’s 2020 forecasts, which state it would cut the cost of batteries in half, as well as reduce investment and allow for smaller production facilities. Unfortunately, Tesla’s Giga Texas facility is currently far behind the pace when it comes to producing 4860 batteries. The brand will need to raise its production tenfold to meet the quarter million units target.
Sources close to the situation told Reuters that Tesla is currently able to throw together 24,000 Cybertrucks per year, with each truck containing around 1360 individual cells. That’s because Tesla currently produces cells at a rate of around 32.5 million annually, according to calculations done by Reuters with data verified by the unnamed sources. To reach the supply goal of 250,000 units annually, the automaker needs to be building almost one million cells per day, or 340 million per year.
Those sources also said that Tesla hasn’t yet perfected the dry-coating system for electrodes at this time. The automaker was able to move quickly on the anode side of the equation, but is still working to perfect the costly cathodes. Tesla is the first automaker to try and utilize dry-coated electrodes at a commercial scale, and there are unique challenges involved with scaling up production. The sources told Reuters that the process is not unlike a magazine printing press, using large rollers to apply the materials. Ramping up production will take larger rollers moving at faster speeds, which thus far has resulted in issues with binding agent temperatures. Figuring that out will be critical to the sales success of the Cybertruck, as well as all of the other Tesla models moving to the 4860 battery setup.
